A minority district in Suffolk County?

LATFOR, the legislative task force charged with drawing districts for the Assembly, Senate and Congress is meeting today on Long Island to examine Suffolk County’s lines.

Being presented is this analysis by Common Cause, a progressive good government group that’s been drawing maps around the state in a concurrent process to LATFOR’s own testimony-taking. They argue the concentration of black and Hispanic voters in Suffolk County, mostly in Islip and Babylon, should be represented as a contiguous community. Currently, it is split among four seats in the Senate. All are occupied by Republicans.

“Unfortunately Suffolk County is one of the areas of New York where LATFOR’s habit of political gerrymandering is best exemplified,” wrote Common Cause’s Brian Paul.

Executive Director Susan Lerner testified at the hearing that the area should be combined in one Senate district, which would increase the chances of its representation by a racial minority. The Assemblyman representing the area, Phil Ramos, is Hispanic.

“Redistricting should reflect the demographic reality of our communities. Fair and reasonable representation is the essence of our democracy, which is supposed to serve the interests of the people, not politicians,” Lerner said in a statement.

Recall that Senate Republicans, in a 2001 memo, described these areas as “politically undesirable” as they drew the current district lines.